Improved telecommunications will transform Nunavik’s health delivery

[image] http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/pub/photos/132_tandberg_internMXP.jpg

The Tandberg "intern" will be Nunavik's tele-health connection to medical specialists in southern Quebec.

Full story

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674improved_telecommunications_will_transform_nunaviks_health_delivery/

[excerpt]

KUUJJUAQ — Don’t be surprised if you run into a doctor in Nunavik who looks almost like a robot, is about five feet tall, and has wheels for feet, a bar for a back, computer screen for a head and a camera for a hat.

It’s just one of the new “interns,” made by a company called Tandberg, which will make their appearance in community clinics and hospitals throughout Nunavik, said Wayne Labadie, the co-ordinator of information services for Nunavik’s regional board of health and social services.

They’ve already arrived at Kuujjuaq’s Tulattavik hospital and at the Inuulitsivik hospital in Puvirnituq, where they’re the most visible signs of changes in the delivery of health and social services in Nunavik.

The audio-visual hook-ups that are part of the tele-health carts or “interns,” as they’re sometimes called, will give each nurse or doctor in Nunavik instant access to the McGill University Health Centre — and their video conversations about patients will take place in real time on the screen.

The new system will provide more efficient access to laboratory results, quicker access to emails and the Internet, and, by March 2012, everyone in the health system will be able to consult electronic clinical records.

As a result, Labadie told counsellors Nov. 28 at the Kativik Regional Government meeting in Kuujjuaq, there will be less risk and better follow-ups for patients.

The improved telecommunications system is due to a five-year contract worth $9 million from Quebec’s Department of Health and Social Services with the KRG’s Tamaani Internet service provider.

And, after 18 months of preparation, the new and improved telecommunications system for health and social services facilities in Nunavik is ready to roll out.

Called the Nunavik Telecommunications Network, the new system uses the same satellite network and local infrastructure as Tamaani.

But the new network will be separate, more secure, and provide the bandwidth needed by 29 health and social services points around Nunavik.

Youth Protection will see its own “locked-down,” secure system within the new network.

CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS #NWT -WIDE YOUTH PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT

FROZEN EYES PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY LAUNCHES NWT-WIDE YOUTH PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT

The Frozen Eyes Photographic Society is officially launching a special Northwest-Territories-wide photographic leadership development program for NWT youth with an ability and interest in photography. Funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage's Youth Take Charge program, this new initiative is looking for 12-15 youth from across the territory.

The project consists of two phases. The first is a professionally instructed week-long workshop in Yellowknife March 18-25. This course will further introduce students to the art of photography and help build their portfolios. In the second phase, participants from the first workshop will travel to a community other than their own to work with a Frozen Eyes mentor and help run a photo workshop for local youth while sharing their knowledge with their peers. The best images from these workshops will be used in a travelling exhibit of NWT youth photography to be shown in northern and southern communities and online.

Interested participants between ages 13 and 19 are required to submit a portfolio by January 16, 2012. Applications should include 5-10 digital photos (jpeg format), a resume, a reference and a brief letter describing why the applicant is interested in participating in the programme.

FEPS was initiated in 2007 after a group of Yellowknife artists developed a photography mentorship program for the Arctic Winter Games. Since forming a society in 2008, FEPS has generously received funds from BHP Billiton Canada, the NWT Arts Council, the City of Yellowknife and now the Department of Canadian Heritage. These funds allowed the group to hold photographic workshops with youth in communities across the NWT, as well as exhibits in Toronto and at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife. The hope is participating youth leave equipped with confidence, leadership skills and a strong knowledge of the technical and creative sides of photography.

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact
Courtney Holmes
Executive Director
867-446-1669
info@frozeneyes.com

Frozen Eyes Photographic Society
Box 20087 Yellowknife, NT
X1A 1R0
http://frozeneyes.com/

NWT needs cash- debt of "$380-million is paying itself off through the territorial housing & power corporation..." Miltenberger

"... The delay of the contentious Keystone XL pipeline is good news for the Northwest Territories in its decades-long bid to get a natural gas pipeline built, its new premier believes.

Bob McLeod, a former industry minister who was appointed premier last month under the territory's cooperative style of government, has spent much of his career pushing for the Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline. His territory needs it now more than ever.

The government is near its federally imposed debt limit, facing an infrastructure crunch and is anxious for a deal on "devolution," which would hand province-like control over resources and land down from Ottawa.

In short: the NWT needs cash, and a massive pipeline would be a boon.

[...]

The territory's books, meanwhile, are in flux. The NWT had a borrowing limit of $500-million set by Ottawa, which temporarily extended it to $575-million recently. The territory is nearing that new limit.

"We're in negotiations with Finance Canada. In the meantime, we're going to manage our way through this," NWT Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger said. "We're on the right side of 575. And we have enough flexibility left to make it through this fiscal year."

Of the debt, $380-million is paying itself off through the territorial housing and power corporation, he said, leaving the territory in an enviable position, if it had control over its resource revenue. A devolution deal would add $60-million to territorial coffers per year, a significant figure for a sprawling region of 43,000 people. "A borrowing limit is important, but devolution for us is really the next step in our political evolution," Mr. Miltenberger said...."

[...]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/keystone-xl-delay-boosts-prospect-for-completing-mackenzie-pipeline-new-premier-says/article2251312/

REVIEW: Homelessness in Yellowknife: An Emerging Social Challenge

Homelessness in Yellowknife: An Emerging Social Challenge http://www.edmontonsocialplanning.ca/content/view/1083/271/

Homelessness in Yellowknife: An Emerging Social Challenge. Nick Falvo. Published by the Canadian Homelessness Network Research Press. 2011.

This report provides a brief overview of characteristics and potential causes of homelessness in Yellowknife. The report then outlines several programs to alleviate this social issue in the city. Finally, recommendations are given on policy affecting homelessness.

The homeless population in Yellowknife is overrepresented by aboriginals living in the city. It is also more likely that homeless persons have predisposing risk factors such as a psychiatric diagnosis, heavy drug or alcohol use, and have inadequate job skills than the general population. Roughly five percent of individuals in Yellowknife experience homelessness at some point in their lives; comparatively, this percentage is approximately one percent nationwide. There is a general consensus among policy makers that unemployment, lack of affordable housing and inadequate social assistance benefits are major factors for homelessness. Conditions in Yellowknife are consistent with the aforementioned.

Program Responses

Program responses to homelessness can be categorized into: emergency shelters, transitional housing, supported independent living homes, independent living support, and public housing.  Emergency shelters provide temporary relief and are one of the least desirable types of housing in terms of living conditions and sustainability. Pomeroy states that the average annual cost to support one person at an emergency shelter is $13,000 - $42 000 (as cited in Falvo, 2011). The crowded living conditions within these shelters have been associated with adverse health consequences. Between 2007 and 2008, a Tuberculosis outbreak cost the public health care system approximately $500 000. Furthermore, valuable healthcare resources were allocated to contact people who may have had come in contact with infected clients at the shelter.

The YWCA operates two transitional housing units: one for households with children (Rockhill Transitional Housing) and another for women (BETTY). The Salvation Army provides one of the main transitional housing units for men-the Bailey House. Yellowknife has three supported independent homes run by the YWCA. These homes have 24 hour on-site staffing and house residents who receive social assistance and $1500 for income support.

The third type of housing program is independent living support, where YWCA staff attend private homes to provide assistance to individuals in need. Support staff may assist with administering medication, groceries, appointments, and social activities.  Yellowknife also has a public housing program which allows low-income individuals to pay rent that is geared to their income.

Funding

Yellowknife receives funding from three tiers of government for its homelessness programs. Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) invest $417 000 in federal funding, three quarters of which have been used to develop the Bailey House.  The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) allocates $700 000 of its funds to the YWCA for its homelessness programs. The DHSS provides $ 125 000 in the form of the Homelessness Assistance fund. The GNWT also has a Small Communities Fund which grants $200 000 to small communities to start their own programs to relieve homelessness. Municipal assistance is given in the form of complimentary legal services, financial administration assistance, relief of permit fees and some property taxes for the Bailey House, and a donation of land on which the Bailey House was built. 

Policy Considerations

Several policy recommendations were outlined in this report. The first recommendation is to form a Homelessness Secretariat. Responsibilities of the Secretariat include creating and monitoring regulations for emergency shelters and collecting and maintaining standard statistics related to homelessness. Along the lines of the first recommendation, the report calls for emergency shelter standards. For example, ensuring there is a minimum number of staff at each shelter at all times and forming procedures on how to handle special circumstances, such as clients with Tuberculosis.

In order to ensure that funds for homelessness programs are effectively utilized, the report emphasizes the importance of members of the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition to clearly communicate individual intentions within the group. Moreover, the GNWT minister of Health and Social Services and Minister Responsible for Northwest Territories Housing Corporation (NWTHC) need to create more affordable and supported housing. In a study done for the National Secretariat on Homelessness (as cited in Falvo, 2011), Pomeroy compares costs on various program expenses in Halifax, Toronto and Vancouver, and found that it is significantly cheaper to provide supported or public housing compared to emergency shelters.

The report also suggests the Minister of Health and Social Services be responsible for establishing a program to address the substance abuse issue that is clearly linked to homelessness. A managed alcohol and needle exchange program are two examples of health programs that may benefit Yellowknife.

Weakness

A weakness of this report is that it did not describe potential shortcomings related to the research methodology.  An example of this is when the author states that only 21 out of 49 informant interviews were used for the project, but does not explain why.

Intended Audience

This report is useful for those interested in a summary of the homeless situation in Yellowknife.  It also provides policy and program ideas on how to deal with homelessness in areas with similar social demographics.

Reviewed by Darlene Lau

---

References:

Pomeroy, Steve. (2005) The Cost of Homelessness: Analysis of Alternate Responses in Four Canadian Cities.Prepared for the National Secretariat on Homelessness.

New Report Paints Grim Picture of Public Housing in the NWT

Description: CBC Special Report, Thursday, November 24, 2011, 7:15 a.m.

http://chab.samhsa.gov/Resource/New-Report-Paints-Grim-Picture-of-Public-Housing-in-the-NWT-53016.aspx

JOSLYN OOSENBRUG, CBC: Now there are about 2,500 public housing units across the Northwest Territories. Many of them are in desperate need of repair and so the waiting list for housing keeps getting longer. Now new research out of Carlton University shows the housing situation is only going to get worse unless there are some drastic changes to the system. Nick Falvo is the lead researcher on the study that was published in this year's edition of How Ottawa Spends, released by Carlton University's School of Public Policy and Administration. Falvo teamed up with the Centre of Northern Families' Arlene Hache to take a closer look at the state of public housing here in the Northwest Territories and both Arlene and Nick join me this morning in studio to go over some of the details. Good morning to you both.

FALVO: Good morning.

HACHE: Good morning.

CBC: So, Arlene, let's start with you. You approached Nick right, to do this research? Why did you want to take a closer look at public housing here in the North?

HACHE: From our perspective public housing is the number one issue in terms of how families and people are directly impacted around homelessness and of family breakdown and people giving their children to child welfare because they can't even keep a home. So we were really interested in partnering with the Carlton University to take a more in-depth look at the history of housing in the Northwest Territories, where the resources are, who should be contributing and of course the federal government is on their way out of giving any money to the Northwest Territories. So we wanted to really lay the foundation for the GNWT to be able to persuade the federal government to stay committed to housing in the North, and we wanted to also look at the policies of the GNWT and barriers that are there in terms of people keeping their house or getting into housing, and that's another sort of big unanswered question.

CBC: So, Nick, can you paint us a bit of a picture? What is the picture of public housing here in the Northwest Territories?

FALVO: Well the picture of public housing here is a bit like housing in the rest of Canada, but there's a very important difference and that is that in the North it is very expensive to build and maintain housing and there are three main reasons for that. One is that there is a considerable amount of poverty, especially in small communities. Second, building costs are higher in the North, especially on the Arctic Coast. Third, utility costs are considerably higher in the Northwest Territories than in the rest of Canada. So for all three of those reasons it is quite expensive to build and maintain a unit in the North. So the role of the federal government is very important in terms of social housing nationally, but it is especially important in the North largely because of those cost factors.

CBC: And why are we hearing that so many of the public housing units here are in such poor condition?

FALVO: I think a key reason is the ongoing cost involved. So, for example, when public housing is built in the Northwest Territories there are capital costs, but after the capital costs are factored in there's still about 15 to $20,000 a year needed by the government to maintain that unit, to pay for things like utility costs and it's an expensive undertaking, households are stretched far more here than in the rest of Canada. So one of the factors is that when something needs to be fixed it is expensive to fix it and there's a real cost issue involved there.

CBC: And does that mean that our more remote communities are in a tougher spot?

FALVO: Absolutely. The research finds that when it comes to households living in crowded conditions and households living in houses that need major repairs, the smaller communities are hit much harder than the regional centres and even the regional centres are hit more than most parts of Canada.

CBC: And, Arlene, what about in terms of accessibility to housing? You said that was one of the other elements that you looked at is the access that people have to the public housing system. What did you find?

HACHE: We find that there are specific policies in place that prevent people from getting into housing or maintaining housing. One of the policies, for example, is if you owe money to any housing authority you can't get into any housing in small communities because it's all controlled by the housing authorities. So some of the debt that's owed is as a result of damage that was done to units in spousal violent relationship. So that debt is carried for 20 or 30 years and that person is never able to get back into housing. So we wanted to look at some of the ways that we can shift those policies a little bit so that we can, you know, really take a look at the prevention of evictions from low cost housing.

CBC: Now in terms of the federal government's role, the government has cost sharing agreements with the Northwest Territories and over the last five years or so we see more federal funding go to the North towards housing. So why isn't this enough?

HACHE: I think that that commitment by the federal government in terms of finances to the North for housing was significant, but not nearly enough either to even begin to scratch what we need in the Northwest Territories. The other thing is the territorial government has, more than any other province or territory, really committed dollars to housing. So our own territorial government has shown that kind of commitment. So that's pretty impressive to me. I'm not so impressed about the policy type things, but in terms of real commitment around housing, they've been there and more recently they've really tried to take homeownership units that didn't work out and really struggled to make that subsidized housing and they've told us that those units are full or will be full really soon. So from what I can tell the GNWT is maxing the most that they can, making sure people are in housing. So that's great, but it doesn't change the fact that we have major issues around people not being able to find a house.

CBC: Nick, how big is that gap between what the territorial government needs in order to be able to provide housing for people and what is actually there?

FALVO: Well I'll put it this way, traditionally in Canada you've got the federal government leading social housing and this started in earnest in the early 1960s and generally the federal government would spend at least 50 percent of the costs involved in housing and often substantially more. This is across the provinces and territories. It stopped announcing new ongoing funding for social housing in the early 1990s and some of these more recent announcements, they're one-off announcements, they represent substantial amounts on an annual basis, but they're one-off and they're not putting in place a permanent program. So now we've got these operating agreements that have been in place for decades that are starting to sunset and by 2038, as I'm sure you're aware, these run out completely. So right now each housing unit that exists is in need of about 15 to $20,000 a year a public housing unit to an operation and maintenance. When the federal contribution runs out and they run out on different agreements every year, that unit is very vulnerable. They're vulnerable all across Canada, but especially in the North where the federal commitment is that much more important.

CBC: Now I'm wondering, the Northwest Territories government is trying to get out of providing public housing and they're trying to move away from that and move into home ownership. So is that part of the solution?

HACHE: I think it's a part of the solution, but it's unrealistic because unemployment and poverty in the communities is a huge factor and there's really no evidence that the resources are there or the support is there for people to succeed in homeownership. So a part of the question for me is looking at did homeownership in the communities succeed and if it didn't why didn't it and there's a number of people that just could not manage financially, you know, maintaining their home and looking after the monthly operations of the home. So I think it's simplistic and not wise to just focus on homeownership. So that's a fairly frightening prospect when you're looking at the fact that people don't have jobs and how can they own their own home then, and if you look at, you know, the situation in Yellowknife, the homeownership concept in Yellowknife didn't even operate because you really couldn't buy a home for the cap that they were giving you. So having programs available and whether or not it actually works is a totally different question.

CBC: So, Arlene, what do you see as a solution or a part of the solution for this dilemma?

HACHE: Well I think that that's why we wanted to partner so desperately with Carlton University to really take an in-depth look at that so we don't get lost in really simple talk about what the solutions are. I think that it's a very complex situation. I'm interested in looking at a process whereby we can look at the debt people have in housing and take a look at maybe a system where women who have experienced violence and the debt is related to that, have that debt weighed. They do wave huge amounts of money in my view for business enterprises that go down the toilet, but they don't do that for people who owe amounts of money for housing. So I want to look at a range of things and I'm hoping Carlton University can help us really drill down into what the real solutions will be. They did come up with some recommendations.

CBC: Okay and, Nick, we've just got a couple of seconds, but if you can just tell us briefly what some of the things are that our government can look at?

FALVO: I think for one thing it's absolutely crucial that the federal government step up and recommit to housing. This is not the time for the federal government to be moving back and allowing agreements to expire. It's the time for them to be recommitting, but also homelessness is primarily a territorial responsibility and last spring in May Arlene and I released a research accord looking at homelessness, focusing on Yellowknife as a case study, but making recommendations for the Territory as a whole. Those recommendations have not been acted on and we're looking to the Government of the Northwest Territories to act on those. Men at the emergency shelter in Yellowknife still sleep one foot apart from each other every night at the same shelter where there was a tuberculosis outbreak just a few years ago. So we'd like to see the Government of the Northwest Territories act on that.

CBC: It's a huge scope of a problem. So I look forward to a lot more discussion on this in the future. Thanks to both of you for being here.

HACHE: Thank you.

FALVO: Thank you.

CBC: And that's Nick Falvo and Arlene Hache. They're the authors of a new paper on public housing in the Northwest Territories that's going to be officially released at noon today. It's published in this year's edition of How Ottawa Spends, a publication of the Carlton University's School of Public Policy and Administration.

Content: ALSO SEE:

Government-Assisted Housing in the Northwest Territories and the Role of the Federal Government, Nick Falvo, How Ottawa Spends

Use it or Lose It: The Conservatives' Northern Development Strategy, Frances Abele, How Ottawa Spends

File(s)

Type of Resource: Newspaper

Publication Date: 2011

Journal Name: CBC News

Volume: November 24, 2011

Location: Yellowknife, NWT, Canada

imagineNATIVE and NFB Call for Digital-Arts Proposals

imagineNATIVE and NFB Call for Digital-Arts Proposals
Deadline is January 9, 2012, and it's open to all Canadian aboriginal artists.

The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival may have only just ended, but already organizers are thinking ahead to 2012.

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/11/21/imaginenative-and-nfb-call-for-digital-arts-proposals-64155

Teaming up as last year with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), imagineNATIVE is soliciting proposals from aborignals artists for "innovative interactive digital media projects," the two organizations said in a November 21 release.

Works from any digital medium and genre are welcome, from interactive documentary to mobile media, interactive animation and photo essay, data visualization and physical installation.

One of last year's selections, De Nort, is in pre-production in Winnipeg, the groups said. It documents life on a northern reserve and will debut at the 13th annual imagineNATIVE, October 17–21, 2012, in Toronto.

"We're thrilled to be renewing our partnership with imagineNATIVE and deepening our connection with artists in the aboriginal digital media community," Cindy Witten, director general of the NFB English Program, said in a statement. "It's a fantastic collaboration, bringing together imagineNATIVE's curatorial smarts and commitment to the digital arts and our role as a creative laboratory working with talented artists to explore the creative application of technology to interactive storytelling."

ImagineNATIVE and the NFB will pick one submission for production. The NFB will be the creative and administrative producer, and imagineNATIVE will provide creative input, the release said, with the project being presented at imagineNATIVE 2013. Budget for the project must fall between $30,000 to $50,000.

Deadline is January 9, 2012, and it's open to all Canadian aboriginal artists. Download submission details here.

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/11/21/nfb.ca/imaginenative/proposals

The 4 Seasons of WAMP: Commissioned Videos

The 4 Seasons of WAMP: Commissioned Videos

WAMP http://www.wamp.ca/ is accepting treatments/script proposals for short videos. Pitch Your Idea.

Project objectives:

To provide an opportunity for beginner and intermediate media-makers to learn more specific elements of independent media production, while producing a first work.

To promote video production within the NWT and provide means for members to produce independent Media artworks.

Submission Deadlines: December 7th, February 7th, May 7th, August 7th

Ideal Shoot Dates: March, June, September, December

WAMP will be accepting short video scripts and treatments to produce! The selection committee will select 4 short videos to produce that either incorporates one of the four seasons thematically or is produced during one of the four seasons in the NWT. Preference will be given to projects that demonstrate artistic merit and/or a well-developed unique story.

Where appropriate, efforts will be made to pair the awarded script/ filmmaker with a suitable mentor for the production as well as provide opportunities where WAMP members can help out and gain experience working on a video project. Productions with additional support from other organization or funding sources will be encouraged to apply.

Successful applicants will receive:
$1 000.00- Honorarium
$500.00 – Project expenses
$1 000.00 - WAMP Production Credit towards equipment rentals for the project.

 Guidelines

Projects will have 2 months to be completed.
Purchase of equipment is an ineligible expense.
Contact Jeremy at WAMP for more information and to submit a script or treatment.
Jeremy Emerson - Executive Director
Western Arctic Moving Pictures Film Society
4916 49th street (basement of Northway bldg]
PO BOX 2487
Yellowknife, NT
X1A 2P8
Ph: (867) 766-2586

Water report: 10 years after Walkerton - #NWT C; #Yukon D+; #Nunavut D

Uneven water standards putting some Canadians at risk more than 10 years after Walkerton: report

'...At the bottom of the list were Alberta (C-), the Northwest Territories (C), the Yukon (D+) and Nunavut (D)... The report expected those at the bottom of the list to improve their standing in the coming years, especially in the Northwest Territories, where an "ambitious review of its water laws" is underway...."

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/11/15/uneven-water-standards-putting-some-canadians-at-risk-more-than-10-years-after-walkerton/

Waterproof 3 - Canada's Drinking Water Report Card
http://www.ecojustice.ca/waterproof-3
Info graphic
http://www.ecojustice.ca/canadas-drinking-water-report-card-infographic-1
Download the Report:
The Essentials
3 page summary of Waterproof 3 
http://www.ecojustice.ca/waterproof-the-essentials/at_download/file
Full Report
Download the pdf file
http://www.ecojustice.ca/waterproof-3-full-report-1
Press release:
National Press Release
http://www.ecojustice.ca/media-centre/press-releases/federal-government-gets-an-2018f2019-for-failing-to-protect-drinking-water

"...the Northwest Territories [...] provide[s] a statutory right to make a complaint about drinking water concerns that must be investigated...."

"...In 2006, all jurisdictions required accredited labs to test water samples. this year, the number fell to 12 as the Northwest Territories no longer requires water samples be analyzed at accredited labs.
In 2006, every jurisdiction except Newfoundland and Labrador, new Brunswick, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut had operator certification programs. This year, only Newfoundland and Labrador and the Northwest Territories lack operator certification programs."

"...Another fail for the federal government
Federal management of water — for places like first nations reserves, military bases and federal parks — still fails to meet basic benchmarks for safe consumption. in this report card, we find that the federal government is failing in almost every aspect of water protection, even though it should be setting rigorous standards for allowable contaminant levels in our drinking water...."

"...Federal Failure
Canada's federal government gets another 'f' for its poor drinking water protection record, which continues to worsen.
• no progress has been made on the legislative front and there has been little improvement in the quality of water for first nations communities.
• drastic budget cuts virtually guarantee that environment Canada will continue its inability to properly monitor water quality,
as described in a recent auditor general's report. http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_cesd_201012_02_e_34425.html
• some drinking water improvement funds are available only to municipalities that engage in public-private partnerships...."

"...Conclusion - in previous editions of this series, our findings led us to conclude that the biggest risks to drinking water came from gaps or deficiencies in the frontlines of drinking water protection — the laws, programs, policies and personnel directly responsible for delivering safe and clean drinking water.
But now the gravest threat, according to our research and analysis, is that improvements to these frontlines may be undermined by other forces, including pollution from constantly-evolving contaminants, government cutbacks and climate change. each of these factors alone makes a compelling case for why governments must introduce comprehensive and legally-binding plans to protect water at the source — before it reaches our treatment centres and distribution systems.
We possess the capacity to improve our health and our children's health, and we believe Canada can rise to the challenge...."

Northwest Territories Waters act, sC 1992, c 39, s 4, online:
http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/stat/sc-1992-c-39/32382/

Northwest Territories Min. environment and natural resources,
NWT Water stewardship: a plan for action 2011-2015 (May 2011), online: http://www.enr.gov.nt.ca/_live/ documents/content/nWt_Water_strategy_action_plan.pdf

Northwest Territories
The Legislative assembly has passed a motion recognizing a fundamental right to water. All waters are vested in the Crown.

"Authentic" #NWT Souvenirs from Northwest Territories Tourism ? #NWTpoli

Is Northwest Territories Tourism mandated to promote the NWT or not?

Is this how they support NWT artists, designers and crafts persons?

Selling "Authentic Northwest Territories Souvenir Items"

"Authentic" Northwest Territories License Plates?

"Authentic" Luggage Tags?

"Authentic" Souvenir Pins?

"Authentic" Folding Maps?

No NWT "Souvenir" at http://webstore.spectacularnwt.com/ seems to be from or made in the NWT...
So what makes them "authentic"?

Seems to me that there are enough artists and craftspeople in the the NWT designing and creating products that can be easily produced (if not already being produced) in large enough quantities to meet the needs of this site that Northwest Territories Tourism cannot have a viable excuse for not marking real work from real citizens of the NWT...

Even it that's not so... they could be licensing the production of items from existing work...

Goodness me, they are not even selling "Ragged Ass Road" or "I Break for Ptarmigan" bumper stickers... nor a single book from an NWT author... Not a single photograph from a photographer.... Not even a single print of an original painting from an NWT artist...

Northwest Territories Tourism
4916 47th Street
3rd Floor, Goga Cho Building
YELLOWKNIFE, NT X1A 2N5

Canada Toll-free number: 1-800-661-0788
International: +1-867-873-7200
Contact Email: info@spectacularnwt.com

Call for submissions - True Winter Tales

Call for submissions - True Winter Tales
Accepting your True Winter Tales between November 2nd and 20th.

On November 2, 2011 11:42 AM

The CBC Book Portal...
http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadawrites/2011/11/call-for-submissions---true-winter-tales.html

Can you smell it in the air? Before long, winter will be here... As delighted - or dejected - as you may be by that statement, you must admit that Canadians feel passionately about the season. You either love it, or you hate it. And whether you were born in the snowy depths of a Manitoba blizzard, or immigrated to Toronto and saw your first snowfall only as an adult, everyone in this country has a personal story to share about winter.

And we want yours...

This November, Canada Writes is hosting a Winter Tales Writing Challenge (in association with the Canada Council for the Arts and The Massey Lectures).

And we've got $1,000 to give away!

The Challenge

We are looking for you to send us your true winter stories. Did something special happen to you on that last day of school before Christmas break? Did you find yourself oddly missing the cold that one year you lived abroad? How about any peculiar events that transpired during the great Quebec ice storm of 1998?

The Details

We will be accepting your True Winter Tales between November 2nd and 20th. All submissions must be between 400 and 500 words, and sent electronically through our contact form.

http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadawrites/challenges/submit/

There is no fee to participate. And only one entry per person is permitted. Read the full rules and regulations.

http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadawrites/challenges/rules-and-regulations---winter-tales.html

The Judge

The Winter Tales Writing Challenge will be judged by author and essayist Adam Gopnik. As this year's Massey Lecturer on the subject of winter, Adam's already in the "winter zone" and ready to read your best cold-weather tales.

The Prize

The winner of our Winter Tales Writing Challenge will receive a $1,000 cash prize from the Canada Council for the Arts. The winning story will also be prominently featured on the Canada Writes site.

Questions? Get in touch with us at canadawrites@cbc.ca

Info on “fracking” for #NWT #NWTpoli

This link is from the Dene Nation.

Global News | Untested Science regarding Fracking! YOU NEED TO EDUCATE
YOURSELF, WATCH!
http://www.globalnews.ca/pages/story.aspx?id=6442511512

They are concerned about proposed fracking in the Norman Wells area.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2011/11/06/north-normal-wells-fracking.html


Barrett Lenoir
A/Chief Executive Officer
Dene Nation/ AFN NWT
blenoirATdenenationDOTcom
867-873-4081

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Shale oil play emerges in Canada's Mackenzie Valley

A shale oil play is starting to emerge in the Mackenzie Plain and Franklin Mountains areas of the Central Mackenzie Valley in Canada's Northwest Territories.

Holding leases in the area are Husky Oil Operations Ltd., ConocoPhillips Canada Resources Corp., MGM Energy Corp., Shell Canada Resources Ltd., and Imperial Oil Resources Ventures Ltd. The leases lie generally from 60 km northwest to 180 km southeast of Norman Wells along the Enbridge pipeline that ships crude from giant Norman Wells oil field to Edson, Alta.

The drilling targets of the new play are the Canol-Hare Indian and Bluefish shales of Devonian age. MGM Energy said a geochemical review indicates that the shales are comparable to many of those being developed elsewhere in North America.

http://www.ogj.com/articles/2011/11/shale-oil-play-emerges-in-canadas-mackenzie-valley.html

No fracking way!

As conventional natural gas supplies diminish, energy corporations are looking for new ways to get at trapped reserves. Hydraulic fracturing – more commonly known as "fracking" – is a process where sand, water and chemicals are blasted into rock formations such as shale, coal beds and "tight" sands to gain access to trapped natural gas deposits. This injection process creates cracks in the rock formations and allows the gas to flow up the well.

Communities across Canada are asking questions about fracking as more and more projects as the industry continues to grow both in the United States and in Canada. Serious health and environmental questions are being raised about the effects of fracking on groundwater, drinking water and on people's health.

The truth is not a lot is known about the long term dangers and effects of fracking. The federal government and provincial governments have yet to establish regulations and safety standards that would protect people and drinking water sources. While natural gas is often referred to as a transition step away from more energy-intensive oil, fracking for "unconventional" gas – gas that is difficult to get to – is not a climate solution. Any energy resource that sacrifices water protection and threatens people's health and environmental safety in such significant ways should be halted.

We need the facts about fracks

The Council of Canadians opposes fracking because of its high carbon emissions, its high water use, and the dangers it poses to polluting groundwater and local drinking water. People living in communities where fracking projects are underway have reported water pollution, "burning water," where water from household taps catches fire due to residual methane gas from fracking operations, and health concerns. We are calling for a nationwide stop on fracking.
http://www.canadians.org/water/issues/fracking/index.html

Natural gas fracking reviews launchedCBC News
Posted: Sep 23, 2011 11:31 AM ET
Last Updated: Sep 23, 2011 11:42 AM ET
The federal government is launching two reviews of a controversial natural gas drilling practice known as fracking, to address concerns it may be damaging to the environment.
Fracking releases natural gas from shale deposits deep underground by blasting large volumes of fresh water, sand, and chemicals into the rocks at high pressure.

What is fracking?

• Hydraulic fracturing, or "hydro-fracking," is a form of natural gas extraction in which a pressurized mix of water and other substances is injected into shale rock formations or coal beds to release trapped natural gas.
• A fluid mixture of water and chemicals is injected under high pressure deep underground, creating or widening fissures in the rock.
• Then, sand or other solids, often ceramic beads, are pumped in to keep the fissures propped open so that methane gas can escape from pores and fractures in the rock.

Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent has asked Environment Canada and a panel of independent scientists with the Council of Canadian Academies to conduct two parallel studies of its environmental impacts.
"We also need to know a great deal more...about this. What I'm trying to do now is accumulate the best scientific information about [it] to make sound decisions," said Kent.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/09/23/bc-federal-study-fracking.html

FAQs: Hydro-fracking - Technology & Science - CBC News

www.cbc.ca

An in-depth look at hydraulic fracturing, a process of extracting natural gas, primarily from shale deposits, that has some people concerned about its effects on the environment and human health and calling for stricter regulations.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/04/27/f-fracking-faq.html

An original investigative report by Earth Focus and UK's Ecologist Film Unit looks at the risks of natural gas development in the Marcellus Shale. From toxic chemicals in drinking water to unregulated interstate dumping of potentially radioactive waste that experts fear can contaminate water supplies in major population centers including New York City, are the health consequences worth the economic gains?

Marcellus Shale contains enough natural gas to supply all US gas needs for 14 years. But as gas drilling takes place, using a process called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking," toxic chemicals and methane gas seep into drinking water. Now experts fear that unacceptable levels of radioactive Radium 226 in gas development waste.

Fracking chemicals are linked to bone, liver and breast cancers, gastrointestinal, circulatory, respiratory, developmental as well as brain and nervous system disorders. Such chemicals are present in frack waste and may find their way into drinking water and air.

Waste from Pennsylvania gas wells -- waste that may also contain unacceptable levels of radium -- is routinely dumped across state lines into landfills in New York, Ohio and West Virginia. New York does not require testing waste for radioactivity prior to dumping or treatment. So drill cuttings from Pennsylvania have been dumped in New York's Chemung and other counties and liquid waste is shipped to treatment plants in Auburn and Watertown New York. How radioactive is this waste? Experts are calling are for testing to find out.
New York State may have been the first state in the nation to put a temporary hold on fracking pending a safety review, but it allows other states to dump toxic frack waste within its boundaries.

With a gas production boom underway in the Marcellus Shale and plans for some 400,000 wells in the coming decades, the cumulative impact of dumping potential lethal waste without adequate oversight is a catastrophe waiting to happen. And now U.S. companies are exporting fracking to Europe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEB_Wwe-uBM

Gasland: A film by Josh Fox

www.gaslandthemovie.com

Join the population and help prevent gas drilling from harming your community and communities across the country. We're keeping a running count of everybody who makes their voice heard!

‎"...How much water is used during the fracking process?
Generally 1-8 million gallons of water may be used to frack a well. A well may be fracked up to 18 times.
What fluids are used in the fracking process?
For each frack, 80-300 tons of chemicals may be used. Presently, the natural gas industry does not have to disclose the chemicals used, but scientists have identified volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene.
In what form does the natural gas come out of the well?
The gas comes up wet in produced water and has to be separated from the wastewater on the surface. Only 30-50% of the water is typically recovered from a well. This wastewater can be highly toxic.
What is done with the wastewater?
Evaporators evaporate off VOCs and condensate tanks steam off VOCs, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The wastewater is then trucked to water treatment facilities.
What is a well's potential to cause air pollution?
As the VOCs are evaporated and come into contact with diesel exhaust from trucks and generators at the well site, ground level ozone is produced. Ozone plumes can travel up to 250 miles. ...."
http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/whats-fracking

GASLAND TRAILER - (2010) Directed by Josh Fox. Winner of Special Jury Prize - Best US Documentary Feature - Sundance 2010. Screening at Cannes 2010.

It is happening all across America and now in Europe and Africa as well - rural landowners wake up one day to find a lucrative offer from a multinational energy conglomerate wanting to lease their property. The Reason? In America, the company hopes to tap into a huge natural gas reservoir dubbed the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. Halliburton developed a way to get the gas out of the ground—a hydraulic drilling process called fracking—and suddenly America finds itself on the precipice of becoming an energy superpower.

But what comes out of the ground with that natural gas? How does it affect our air and drinking water? GASLAND is a powerful personal documentary that confronts these questions with spirit, strength, and a sense of humor. When filmmaker Josh Fox receives his cash offer in the mail, he travels across 32 states to meet other rural residents on the front lines of fracking. He discovers toxic streams, ruined aquifers, dying livestock, brutal illnesses, and kitchen sinks that burst into flame. He learns that all water is connected and perhaps some things are more valuable than money.
http://youtu.be/dZe1AeH0Qz8

My Water's On Fire Tonight (The Fracking Song) http://youtu.be/timfvNgr_Q4
My Water's On Fire Tonight" is a product of Studio 20 NYU (http://bit.ly/hzGRYP) in collaboration with ProPublica.org (http://bit.ly/5tJN). The song is based on ProPublica's investigation on hydraulic fractured gas drilling (read the full investigation here: http://bit.ly/15sib6).

Fracking
Gas Drilling's Environmental Threat
http://www.propublica.org/series/fracking

CAN YOU DO THIS WITH YOUR TAP WATER?
http://youtu.be/U01EK76Sy4A

FRACKING 101
December 06, 2010 BBC World News
http://youtu.be/nPZqXGBlj10

Tell NWT Premier Bob McLeod to Stand up for Canadian justice!

Stand up for Canadian justice! Tell Northwest Territories Premier Bob McLeod to join other provinces and territories and refuse to pay for the Conservatives' cruel Crime Bill. Together, we can make Canada safer, not meaner.

http://www.leadnow.ca/keep-nwt-safe

In the last few days a group of provinces have taken a powerful stand against the Conservatives' cruel Crime Bill. Quebec and Ontario have said that they will not pay the huge costs for a federally imposed fill-the-prisons approach to justice that has failed everywhere it has been tried.¹ Many other provinces are pushing back, publicly and privately, against policies that will cost us dearly while creating a revolving door for prisoners.²

From prosecutors to prisons, our provinces and territories are responsible for paying for most of our criminal justice system. If the provinces work together and refuse to pay for the Crime Bill's costly and ineffective measures, then the federal government will have to go back to the drawing board and negotiate a better way forward.

This is a crucial moment. The Northwest Territories government is concerned about the bill and its costs. We need to speak together right now to show Premier Bob McLeod that his constituents do not want to pay more money to be less safe.

Tell Premier McLeod to refuse to pay for the cruel Crime Bill, and support a Citizen's Assembly for Canadian Justice!

Opposition to this bill is growing across the political spectrum. Newfoundland and Labrador's Justice Minister, a Conservative named Felix Collins just spoke out and called the Crime Bill a "costly gaffe" that would "undermine democracy."³

Collins said that "most groups, most experts and most witnesses who have given presentations on this bill would advocate that the federal government is proceeding in the wrong direction, and that this procedure has been tried in other areas before and has proven to be a failure."³

Collins is right about the experts. Take the Canadian Bar Association, which represents 37,000 legal professionals. They strongly criticized the Bill for its "punitive approach to criminal behaviour, rather than a focus on how to prevent that behaviour in the first place, or rehabilitate those who offend."³

And then there's tough-on-crime Texas. In 2004 Texas had the highest incarceration rate in the world. In 2005 they had a budget crisis. That's when Texas got serious, and discovered that crime prevention, through drug treatment programs and a host of other proven solutions, is cheaper and more effective than mandatory sentences and other fill-the-prisons policies.⁴

Texas has learned something that Canadians have known for a long time: it is better to help people be a part of society than it is to pay to force them out.

We need a united provincial alliance. Send a message to your Premier and Justice Minister now to make Canada safer, not meaner.

References:

1. Provinces wont foot bill for crime legislation, McGuinty warns PM: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/provinces-wont-foot-bill-for-crime-legislation-mcguinty-warns-pm/article2222867/
2. Quebec Justice Minister Jean Marc Fournier says province wont pay costs of new federal crime bill: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20111101/quebec-justice-minister-jean-marc-fournier-says-province-wont-pay-costs-of-new-federal-crime-bill-111101/
3. N.L. joins Ontario, Quebec in criticism of crime bill: http://m.ctv.ca/topstories/20111102/newfoundland-feds-crime-bill-111102.html
4. Texas conservatives reject Harper's crime plan - 'Been there; done that; didn't work,' say Texas crime-fighters (CBC): http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/10/17/pol-vp-milewski-texas-crime.html
5. Critics of omnibus bill 'advocate for criminals,' Conservatives charge (Globe and Mail): http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/critics-of-omnibus-bill-advocate-for-criminals-conservatives-charge/article2205213/
6. Study: Prevention Fights Crime Better Than Jail (Seattle Times): http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19960620&slug=2335526
7. Tough on crime will likely lead to more crime, bigger deficit (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives): http://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/news-releases/tough-crime-will-likely-lead-more-crime-bigger-deficit-report
8. Crime rates fall to lowest level since 1973 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/07/21/crime-rates.html
9. Open letter to the Government opposing mandatory sentences from over 550 Canadian experts and public health professionals (Urban Health Research Initiative): http://uhri.cfenet.ubc.ca/content/view/90
10. A Meaner Canada : Junk Politics and the Omnibus Crime Bill (Alex Himelfarb) http://afhimelfarb.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/a-meaner-canada-junk-politics-and-the-omnibus-crime-bill/
11. What's Wrong With Harper's Omnibus Crime Bill (Behind the Numbers) http://www.behindthenumbers.ca/2011/09/20/whats-wrong-with-harpers-omnibus-crime-bill/
12. Rough Justice in America: Too many laws, too many prisoners - Never in the civilised world have so many been locked up for so little (The Economist): http://www.economist.com/node/16636027
13. Salvaging a faulty crime bill (Irvin Waller) http://www.themarknews.com/articles/6942-salvaging-a-faulty-crime-bill
14. Incarceration and Crime: A Complex Relationship, (The Sentencing Project) http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/inc_iandc_complex.pdf
15. For the full text of the bill, see the Parliament of Canada website: http://www.parl.gc.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&billId=5120829

Spectacular Ethical Deficit Northwest Territories

Spectacular Ethical Deficit Northwest Territories
Originally uploaded by The MediaMentor 

Via Flickr:
N.W.T. government investigating alleged whistleblower
Government worker alleged to have leaked documents about MLA Daryl Dolynny
'...Paul Thomas is professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba, specializing in public sector ethics.

"He seems to have been suffering from an ethical deficit, and he seems to be mixing his private interests with the public interest in a way that's inappropriate,” Thomas said.

Thomas said the Northwest Territories is one of the few jurisdictions yet to enact a law to protect so-called whistleblowers – government employees who shed light on wrongdoing.

The president of the Union of Northern Workers, Todd Parsons, said the territory needs it...."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2011/11/06/north-gnwt-investigates-alleged-whistleblower.html

N.W.T. government investigating alleged whistleblower

©2011 George Lessard mediamentor.ca
editorial comment

First major snowfall of the 2011/2012 winter season in Yellowknife NWT

WHAT ABOUT THE GNWT? Criminal justice - Five provinces unite with Quebec and Ontario - A majority of provinces worry about the prison costs attached to bill C-10

When are we going to hear the GNWT position on this issue? Seems to me we should have heard something about this by now....

Justice criminelle - Cinq provinces se joignent au Québec et à l'Ontario -Une majorité de provinces s'inquiètent des coûts carcéraux entraînés par le projet de loi C-10
Criminal justice - Five provinces unite with Quebec and Ontario - A majority of provinces worry about the prison costs attached to bill C-10 http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/canada/335142/justice-criminelle-cinq-provinces-se-joignent-au-quebec-et-a-l-ontario

Quebec will refuse to pay for omnibus crime bill
[excerpt]

"....Quebec's justice minister called the federal government's omnibus crime bill a "Band-Aid solution" Tuesday and said his province will refuse to absorb the added costs associated with it.

Jean-Marc Fournier, testifying at the House of Commons justice and human rights committee, said Bill C-10 will wind up causing more crime, not less, because it is an unbalanced piece of legislation that doesn't focus enough on the rehabilitation of criminals, particularly young offenders.

He said the legislation is meant to put more people in jail and that will result in higher recidivism rates unless more is done to get at the root causes of criminality and to successfully reintegrate offenders into society so they can go on to lead productive lives.

"What we want is a sustainable protection of the public," he said. "We wish to see a reinsertion of the youth in society so that society can benefit from it."

Fournier said Quebec takes a different approach to dealing with young offenders that is more focused on rehabilitation than incarceration and that it is working. He encouraged MPs to take their time and to examine the evidence from his province and to reject the Safe Streets and Communities Act in its current form.

He said young offenders often come out of prison worse than how they went in and attention needs to be paid to the root causes of their criminality in order to prevent them from re-offending.

Fournier said the Conservatives' bill is more of a short-term solution to fighting crime and he repeatedly warned it will mean more repeat offenders in the court and corrections systems.

"C-10 does not take into account the return of the young offender, of the individual into society," he said.

"What you've got is a Band-Aid solution here, you're not curing anything," Fournier told the committee...."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/11/01/pol-omnibus-crime-bill.html

Provinces won't pay for crime bill, says Ontario premier
[excerpt]
"...Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty warned the Harper government that provinces across the country will not pick up the tab for any new costs associated with the federal omnibus anti-crime bill that is expected to be passed into law.

The premier first spoke of his reluctance at paying for those costs Tuesday in Ottawa, the same day Quebec's justice minister said his province would not foot the bill for any new costs.

'It's easy to sit on high in Ottawa and pass laws.'— Dalton McGuinty, Ontario premier

McGuinty on Wednesday appeared to harden his stance on the issue, and suggested the federal government would run into opposition from all provincial governments.

"What we're saying at this point is that crime continues to come down in Ontario and I'd be surprised if any premier of any of the provinces and territories is prepared to welcome new expenditures being foisted upon us by the federal government because they've got some plans with respect to criminal law," McGuinty said.

He said the Ontario government is focused on issues like health care, education and transit.

"It's easy to sit on high in Ottawa and pass laws, but if there are accompanying costs, we're not prepared to accept those here in Ontario. I don't think premiers across the country are prepared to accept those," he said.

"I think there's a corresponding responsibility on the part of the federal government to say if there are new costs, they are going to pick up the tab." ..."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/11/02/mcguinty-crime-bill-costs689.html